The Seaside Seagulls, fresh off a 42-7 victory over Burns High School on Sept. 22, entered Sept. 29’s game at Broadway Field against the Tillamook Cheesemakers as the underdogs, undermanned and unsure how the game would play out.

Whatever questions there might have been about this team were answered, as the Seagulls won an instant classic 41-35 to improve their record to 3-2 for the year and 1-0 in league play.

“The kids played really well,” head coach Aaron Tanabe said. “We had a plan and the kids executed. I’m just really proud of them.”

Coming into the game, the Cheesemakers were ranked ahead of the Seagulls in the 4A rankings. According to Tanabe, Tillamook was picked to finish ahead of Seaside in the preseason rankings. This game was a marker not just for the program, but also for coach Tanabe, as he was celebrating his birthday before and after the game. In fact, on the field after the game, the students, parents and players sang happy birthday to him.

“That’s a really good football team so for us to execute and do our job, I’m just proud of these kids,” Tanabe said. “It was a great birthday gift, couldn’t have asked for a better one.”

The Seagulls also entered the game without two starters. Starting running back Jake White and starting linebacker Ruger Thompson were both out with injuries.

Sophomore running back Ryder Jackson ran around and through Tillamook defenders all night long. Jackson finished the night with 117 yards and two touchdowns, while adding a 38-yard receiving touchdown. Jackson was the biggest reason the Seagulls won Sept. 29, and his teammates were quick to give the dynamic sophomore praise for his job filling in for the injured White.

“Ryder is one of our hardest workers, he does the right thing, does what we value in our program,” Tanabe said. “I can’t say enough good things about him, he’s going to be a real good one for us.”

Jackson’s performance was so good it surprised him. He said the goal was to go out there and do the best he could to replace White, but even he couldn’t have envisioned a performance like had on Sept. 29.

“I came in having to take Jake’s spot since he was hurt,” Jackson said. “I have high expectations of myself, but even I wasn’t expecting to perform as well as I did. Once the offensive line got going they were amazing. They’re my dogs.”

Jackson gave credit to quarterback Zayden Anderson, whose continued improvement has impressed his coach and teammates. Anderson contributed three big touchdown passes to help the Seagulls keep pace with the Cheesemakers. The Seagulls’ defense also came up with two big stops back to back, allowing the offense to get the ball back.

Both coach Tanabe and Jackson hope this game will carry over into Oct. 6’s game against Scappoose. Scappoose is the third-ranked team in 4A and undefeated for the season. It will be an even tougher game for the Seagulls, but the team is confident and optimistic about what they can do.

“I hope so,” Tanabe said. “We’re a little banged up but the kids played really hard which will give us some confidence going into Scappoose next week. The opponent doesn’t get any easier so we’re going to use this momentum to get ready.”

“Scappoose is undefeated and the top in the state so we’re going to use that momentum to hopefully beat them,” Jackson said.